FMS8361 - Digital Film Production
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Philippa Page
- Owning School: School of Modern Languages
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 999 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20.0 |
| ECTS: | 10.0 |
Aims
This module aims to activate a critical understanding of film construction, creating a framework from which skills in film production will be developed and applied to a short film project made by each student for final assessment.
Practical working will be foregrounded by relevant theory as key components of film grammar, production and aesthetics are introduced and analysed over a series of lectures and critical seminar discussions. Recommended pre-reading and viewing will focus on contextual examples from a history of commercial cinema, independent and experimental film. Individual practical exercises and group-based critical feedback will put learning into practice and develop students' abilities in film production and storytelling, as well as critical analysis, constructive feedback and problem-solving.
The module is divided into two strands - Film Style & Aesthetics and Film Craft; which will be covered in a series of lectures and accompanying seminars for practical problem-solving, project development, and critical discussion. Students will be assessed individually but are encouraged and facilitated to develop team-working relationships to execute their set exercises and final project.
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus will take the students through film aesthetics, film production, content creation and dissemination.
- working through the stages of development, pre-production and post-production
- developing a critical understanding of film construction and applied techniques.
- understanding the importance of intentionality at the start of any film project
- Embedding depth into narrative through theme, character and mise-en-scene
- developing ideas into fully realized scripts and films
- engaging in visual storytelling in both narrative and non-narrative works
- engaging with visualization development techniques such as storyboards, mood boards and other research
- exploring the creative use of sound in film, how this can be tailored to central theme and subject matter
- learning to deliver production schedules and key production management tasks including auditions, problem solving, location recces
- students will engage with tasks which: build confidence in working individually to articulate their own artistic voice; encourage reflection on the limits of their own competence and develop skills in the collaborative team-working and communication crucial to film production and realisation of an individual film-maker’s vision
- analysing and evaluating progress all stages of production to revise and refine material
- working collaboratively to develop team working skills
- analysing and evaluating all stages of production to revise and refine material at all stage of production
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 3:00 | 33:00 | Present in Person sessions to support students’ fieldwork, and to aid development of final project. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 18 | 1 | 18:00 | Recommended research & filmmaking activities; Putting theory into practice. |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 30 | 1 | 30:00 | |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 50 | 10 | 50:00 | |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 69 | 1 | 69:00 | |
| Total | 200:00 | ||||
Teaching Rationale and Relationship
Small group teaching will be used to deliver learning and professional insight so students have a thorough grounding in how stories are used to convey information and emotion. Students will understand techniques used to engage an audience, the psychology and philosophy behind character development, story and script construction. They will also be used for discussion and project design and preparation, and familiarise students with the technical aspects of digital production and post-production. Structured research and filmmaking activities will immerse students in the practicalities of research, scripting, location finding and filming.
This is a practical module. Therefore, all contact hours are delivered in the forms of in-person seminars. Structured preparation tasks for each of these in-person seminars will be provided on Canvas a week prior to each seminar. This is to support preparation.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj 1 | 2 | M | 80 | A 3-5 minute film |
| Written exercise 1 | 2 | M | 20 | Critical project analysis - 1000 words |
Assessment Rationale and Relationship
A short film will be a showcase of students’ abilities and acquired knowledge and skills in digital media. The written evaluation will be an indication of the level of critical analysis and understanding they have attained in their chosen area of digital content.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/